Chapter (5)

AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM CONTROL

5.1 FACE AND BYPASS DAMPERS

Face and bypass dampers are used with preheat coils, and less often with direct-
expansion cooling coils. Figure 5-1 shows a typical preheat installation. The preheat
coil is sized with a face velocity based on the manufacturer's recommendations, and with
all the air flowing through the coil. The bypass damper should be sized so that its
pressure drop is equal to the sum of the face damper and coil pressure drops.

Figure 5-1. Face and bypass dampers

5.2 OUTSIDE AIR CONTROLS

5.2.1 Minimum Outside Air
The simplest method of outdoor air control is to open a minimum outside air damper
whenever the supply fan is running (Figure 5-2). This provides the air required for
ventilation or exhaust.

Figure 5.2 Outside air; two-position.

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5.2.2 Static Pressure Control
In spaces requiring a constant positive or negative pressure with respect to their
surroundings, the outside, return, and relief air dampers will be controlled by static
pressure controllers. In Figure 5.3, the static pressure controller senses the difference in
pressure between the controlled space and a reference location (either next to the
controlled space or outdoors) and adjusts the dampers to maintain that pressure
differential. The amount of outside air provided must be sufficient to make up any
exhaust and to pressurize the space. Proportional plus integral controls are required
because low proportional gain is needed to prevent instability due to pressure surges that
occur when doors are opened.

Figure 5.3 Outside air: static pressure control.

5.2.3 Outside Air and Variable Air Volume Systems

The scheme shown in Figure 5.4 provides a minimum outside air for constant volume
systems. It fixes a minimum position for the outside air damper that is adjusted during
commissioning to provide the required air flow. However, when used in a VAV system,
it provides a minimum fraction of flow not a minimum absolute amount. Several
approaches to ensure that the minimum amount of outside air is maintained under
varying total air volume flow rates have been proposed. The return damper is controlled
to maintain a constant negative pressure in the mixing box. With the minimum outside
air damper open, this insures that the minimum fresh air amount will be achieved

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 Figure 5.4 Return damper controls mixing box pressure.

5.3 AIR STRATIFICATION

The mixing plenum and its dampers should be designed to promote good mixing of the
air streams. One of the simpler methods is shown in Figure 5.5. Parallel-blade dampers
are so arranged that the air streams meet head-on. We showed earlier, however, that
parallel-blade dampers usually are not appropriate for modulating control.

Figure 5.5 Air streams side by side; no mixing.

If the air streams enter opposite sides of the mixing plenum, as in Figures (5.6 - 5.7) then
good mixing may occur. Good mixing is more likely if the comparatively high damper
velocities recommended are used.

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 Figure 5.6 Air streams at 90"angle, good mixing.

Figure 5.7 Opposed air streams; good mixing.

Unfortunately, in many existing systems damper velocities can be low and outdoor and
return air stream will not mix, especially in cold weather, without modifying the mixing
box. One approach is to block off part of the dampers to increase velocities. Static
mixers also can be used. They impart a whirling, mixing motion to the air, but complete
mixing does not occur for several diameters past the mixer. If an obstruction such as a
filter or heating or cooling coil is encountered, mixing stops. Some system pressure drop
is added.
Another approach is to add baffles to promote mixing, as shown in Figure 5.8.
Experience has shown that this method is the most effective in producing a fully mixed
air stream at the cost of some additional system pressure drop.

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 Figure 5.8 Baffles to improve mixing.
5.4 HEATING
Heating in HVAC systems usually is provided by steam or hot water coils with remote
boilers. Electric heating coils, heat pumps, and direct gas-fired duct heaters also are used
and are discussed in other sections of this book. Heating may be done to preheat outside
air or heat mixed air, to heat part of the air stream, or to reheat for humidity control or
individual zone temperature control.

5.4.1 Preheat
Preheating is used when large percentages of outside air could cause freezing of
downstream heating and cooling coils. The main problem in preheating is freeze-up of
the preheat coil itself. Several methods are used to prevent this. Figure 5.9 shows the
simplest approach. This is a two-position valve in the steam or hot water supply with an
outdoor thermostat that opens the valve whenever the outdoor temperature is below
35oFor 40oF. (an open-loop control.) The filter is downstream of the coil to prevent snow
loading in severe winter storm weather. Because no control of leaving air temperature is
provided, the preheat coil must be carefully selected to prevent overheating at, say, 30 oF
outside, while still providing adequate capacity at perhaps -10oF or - 20oF outside design
conditions. This is a difficult, if not impossible, compromise.
Face and bypass dampers are added at the coil and controlled by means of a downstream
thermostat (T2, Figure 5.10) to provide a controlled mixture temperature. The difficulty
here is stratification of the two air streams. In some cases where a downstream cooling
coil has been frozen by a bypass air stream while the preheat coil was in full operation.
The preheat coil should always be located in the bottom of the duct, and, even so, it is
desirable to provide mixing baffles.

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 Figure 5.9 Preheat: outside air thermostat.

Figure 5.10 Preheat face and bypass dampers.

5.4.2 Normal Heating

"Normal" heating refers to the coil in a single-zone, multi-zone, or dual duct air system
that handles all or most of the system air at entering temperatures of 45oF to 50oFor
higher. For a single-zone unit (Figure 5.11) the supply valve is controlled by a room
thermostat (TI), frequently with a high-limit discharge thermostat (T2) added.

Figure 5.11 Heating, single-zone

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Alternatively, the supply valve may be controlled to provide a variable discharge air
temperature with reset from the zone temperature (Figure 5.12). Either of these systems
can be used for cooling, heating, or a combination of the two, with heating and cooling
coils in series.

Figure 5.12. Heating, single-zone, discharge control.

In dual-duct or multi-zone systems the supply valve is controlled by a hot plenum

thermostat (Figure 5.13). To improve overall controllability, it is desirable to add
outdoor reset, decreasing the hot plenum temperature as the outdoor temperature
increases.

Figure 5.13 Heating, multi-zone or dud-duct.

5.5 COOLING COILS

Cooling coils generally are confined to the air handling unit although occasionally re-
cooling coils are required, as, for example, with chemical dehumidifiers. There are two
types: direct-expansion coil (DX) and those using chilled water or brine.

5.5.1 Direct Expansion Coils

DX coils must, by their nature, use two-position control with its inherently wide
operating differential. Nonetheless, this system is often used, particularly in small units
and where close control is not required. Figure 5.14 shows a typical DX coil control.
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The room thermostat opens the solenoid valve, allowing refrigerant liquid to flow
through the expansion valve to the coil. The expansion valve modulates according to its
setting to try to maintain a minimum refrigerant suction temperature. A low-limit
discharge thermostat, T2, keeps the supply air temperature from becoming too cold.

Figure 5.14 Direct-expansion cooling; two-position control

A different approach adds a variable back-pressure valve in the refrigerant suction line,
controlled by the room thermostat (Figure 5.15). As the room temperature decreases, the
valve is throttled, increasing the suction temperature at the coil and decreasing the coil
capacity. A reversing relay allows the back-pressure valve to be normally open, a
necessary condition when the solenoid valve is first opened.

Figure 5.15 Direct-expansion cooling; suction pressure control.

Hot gas bypass also may be used for capacity control, as shown in Figure 5.16. A
constant pressure expansion valve is used to maintain the evaporator pressure (and
temperature) at a constant level, regardless of load. There are limitations on the
percentage of total refrigeration flow that may be bypassed, and on pressure drops in the
piping system.

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 Figure 5.16 Hot gas bypass capacity control

Two-stage direct expansion will often provide adequate capacity control. The stages
should be made by rows of coil rather than by sectioning the coil. Otherwise the active
section may ice up, forcing most of the air flow through the inactive section and
reducing the coil capacity. In a multi-row coil the first stage should be the first row in
the direction of air flow and the second stage the rest of the rows, since the first row of a
three or four row coil does at least half the cooling.

5.5.2 Chilled Water Coils

Chilled water or brine coils are controlled in much the same way as heating coils, with a
three-way or straight-through valve, modulating or two positions. Generally, cooling
coil control valves should fail in the closed position because this allows the use of
direct-acting controllers. The three-way valve arrangement would then appear as in
Figure 5.17.

Figure 5.17 Cooling, chilled water, three-way valve.

The recirculation pump arrangement is very useful in two cases: (1) for extremely
accurate temperature control and (2) to avoid freezing in those situations where system
geometry make it impossible to avoid stratification of mixed or partially preheated air.

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5.6 HUMIDITY CONTROL
It may be necessary to raise or to lower the humidity of the supply air to maintain
selected humidity conditions in the air-conditioned space.

5.6.1 Air Washer

Consider first the air washer (Figure 5.18). Often used for its sensible cooling capability,
it is also known as a direct evaporative cooler. Whether an inexpensive wetted-pad
residential-type unit or a large industrial unit with an elaborate system of sprays and
eliminators, any air washer operates on the adiabatic cooling principle. That is, the
cooling is done by using the sensible heat of the air to evaporate water. Thus, the air
passing through the washer changes conditions along a constant web bulb line, with the
final state being dependent on the initial state and the saturation efficiency of the washer
(70-90%). There is no control of humidity.

Figure 5.18 Evaporative cooling (air washer).

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